This invention relates to a class of devices which may be generally characterized as crushers, pulverizers, shredders, comminutors, and the like. Such devices may be further characterized as capable of reducing or crushing material pieces passing therethrough which may be dry, wet or in a liquid medium. The reducing or crushing process provided by these devices renders the larger material pieces to smaller free-flowing sizes as a result of a cutter array in intermeshing action with a plurality of rotable cutting or crushing blades or teeth.
The present invention is concerned primarily with operable mechanical crushing features which provides for convenient accessability and removal thereof without disruption of a system's physical in-line arrangement. In the prior art such devices may have had fixed cages or stationary cutting and shredding bars which are in coaxial rotatable intermeshing relationship with cutting blades or teeth for size reduction of materials passing therebetween. In general, however, these prior art devices have not provided the means whereby accessibility to these intermeshing and shredding members are readily and conveniently available for inspection, repair or replacement of members, where desired without material disruption of the system into which they may have been incorporated.
Devices of the type to which the present invention relates are known and described in the prior art, for example, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,870,969, to W. E. Moore, issued Jan. 27, 1959, entitled "Ice Crusher". This device, includes a housing adapted to receive conventional size ice cubes through a top opening. At the lower end of the housing, two sets of parallel vanes are provided, each set extending a different proportion of the distance from one side of the housing to the center thereof. A crank operated crush assembly is disposed centrally of the crusher and has crusher teeth which are arranged to pass between adjacent vanes of the housing. The foregoing patent discloses the principle of engaging and fracturing conventional ice cubes by means of crushing engagement between the parallel vanes fixedly extending from the housing and the series of intermeshing teeth rotably passing between adjacent vanes by means of a hand crank arrangement. As shown and disclosed the vanes which are affixed to the housing and can not readily and conveniently be repaired or replaced. It should be noted that this device is not adaptable for integration as part of an in-line system.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,421, to Harold E. Galanty, issued Jan. 19, 1971, entitled "Chopping Machine", there is disclosed a chopping machine adapted to be connected to a duct through which solid material is transported by a stream of fluid. The device comprises a grating unit and a cooperating chopping unit having chopper blades. The chopper unit is related so that the blades pass into and out of slots in the grating with a clearance, whereby the smaller size pieces pass through the grating as the larger size pieces are chopped into a size which will freely pass through the grating. This is another example of a device capable of rending larger pieces of material into smaller pieces by means of a plurality of rotating chopping teeth which engage larger size pieces and render them smaller. However, it can be seen that the grating unit has vanes or blades which extend from the housing wall to the center thereof and are an integral part thereof. Consequently, the grating unit can not readily and conveniently be repaired or replaced without disruption or removal of the entire unit to perform repair or replacement work thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,888, to William B. Galanty, issued Feb. 5, 1980, entitled "Comminutor for Sewage Flowing in Liquids", discloses a comminutor for channels or in-line conduits which includes a semicylindrical concave cage formed of a plurality of axially spaced apart sections of arcuate rings or bars connected together arcuately and axially. A plurality of comb-like members are mounted at spaced intervals along the inner surface contour of the semi-cylindrical concave cage member with the teeth of its comb-like members in axial alignment with corresponding sections of the rings or bars which form the cage member. A plurality of rotatable cutting and shredding arms are mounted axially along a helical spiral like path in spaced relationship with the cage member with a plurality of comb-like members for interengaging comminuting action with radially extending portions of their respective teeth. The teeth of the cutting and shredding arms may be in engagement with each tooth of the comb-like member and each of the slotted openings of the cage member at least once during each revolution of the cutting and shredding arms. The construction of this device is such that its may not be readily or conveniently inspected or repaired when it is used in an in-line system without disrupting the entire system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,278, issued Jan. 1, 1985, to William B. Galanty, entitled "Comminutor for In-line Flow of Sewage", is considered as an improvement of invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,888 issued to the same inventor, and discloses an improved comminutor having a one piece stationary hemispherical cage member and a companion one piece spherical-like rotatable cutting and shredding member adapted for use with the hemispherical cage in crushing and shredding action.
Although the inventive device provided an improvement to the prior art, as an in-line component device it does not include the features which would enable it to be inspected, repaired or provided with replacement parts without the physical removal of the entire unit which would be inconvenient, time consuming and costly. Thus, it can readily be appreciated from such prior art devices that there is a need for devices of this and other types which overcome the disadvantages of such prior art devices.